Managing Phobia

Some events can trigger feelings of anxiousness. Examples of such events are when you move to a new house, start a new job, visit relatives and friends you have not seen for a long time, meet new people, buying a new car, and even getting married. These things are good occurrences yet each would cause nervousness and tension to our mind and body. Whenever you get feelings of anxiousness, you will notice that there is a funny sensation in the stomach; sometimes it will last a few minutes while at times it takes a few days to recover. When you can get over this feeling quickly, it remains that- just a feeling. However, if the feeling of anxiousness does not seem to go away and you constantly find yourself getting nervous and anxious, then you have developed anxiety.  

An anxiety that is brought about by a particular occurrence or situation is called a phobia. Driving for example, may cause phobia to some people. Those suffering from it will know it is never an easy thing to have. Other kinds of phobia may stem from fear of heights, fear of people and fear of insects. Regardless of whether the reason for fear is justifiable or not, phobia makes a person react differently such as in the form of shouting, discomfort, nervousness and panic.

Studies show that 10% of adults have a certain kind of phobia. Those who develop it when they were younger tend to lose it as they grow old, but those who retain it while growing up will most likely keep it for the rest of their lives, unless they find treatment for it. The problem is, some people are often hesitant to seek help from experts in the field of psychology that they will never get over their phobia.

If you are among those suffering from a certain kind of phobia, you should know that there are two kinds of therapy involved: behavioral, which focuses on the “why,” and cognitive which focuses on how you can change your mindset towards the phobia. For behavioral treatment, it will help in discovering the cause of the fear and finding a way to respond to it; cognitive treatment helps alter your perception of the fear and to improve self-talk techniques.

Every time you come across the things that cause you fear most, you need to tell yourself that yes, you are afraid but you know you are going to survive through it; it is not going to kill you. Phobias may not really be completely cured through the therapy but it can be managed well.